Insurance appeal meeting

June 4, 2000

Carol,

Hi, I am Margie Vickers. I was reading your post and saw you said something

about an appeal letter. Was it from Dr. R himself? Did you write to him and

ask him for it? Did he send it to you? Is it on his site? geez lots of

questions here. I was just denied due to an exclusion, and am getting ready

for the big battle. Please let me know if you have any good pointers! good

Luck hun! Hugs margie SC

June 4, 2000

Carol,

Hi, I am Margie Vickers. I was reading your post and saw you said something

about an appeal letter. Was it from Dr. R himself? Did you write to him and

ask him for it? Did he send it to you? Is it on his site? geez lots of

questions here. I was just denied due to an exclusion, and am getting ready

for the big battle. Please let me know if you have any good pointers! good

Luck hun! Hugs margie SC

June 4, 2000

Carol,

Hi, I am Margie Vickers. I was reading your post and saw you said something

about an appeal letter. Was it from Dr. R himself? Did you write to him and

ask him for it? Did he send it to you? Is it on his site? geez lots of

questions here. I was just denied due to an exclusion, and am getting ready

for the big battle. Please let me know if you have any good pointers! good

Luck hun! Hugs margie SC

June 4, 2000

Carol,

YOU GO GET THEM GIRL! You are in my prayers and here is a {{{{HUG}}}}

just for you. Let us know as soon as you get word.

in SC

Wanting to start a new life

with the help of Dr. R

If you see someone without a smile,

Give them one of yours.

If you and I should meet and

you forget me, you have lost nothing.

If you meet JESUS and you forget him,

you will have lost everything.

June 4, 2000

Carol,

YOU GO GET THEM GIRL! You are in my prayers and here is a {{{{HUG}}}}

just for you. Let us know as soon as you get word.

in SC

Wanting to start a new life

with the help of Dr. R

If you see someone without a smile,

Give them one of yours.

If you and I should meet and

you forget me, you have lost nothing.

If you meet JESUS and you forget him,

you will have lost everything.

June 4, 2000

Carol,

YOU GO GET THEM GIRL! You are in my prayers and here is a {{{{HUG}}}}

just for you. Let us know as soon as you get word.

in SC

Wanting to start a new life

with the help of Dr. R

If you see someone without a smile,

Give them one of yours.

If you and I should meet and

you forget me, you have lost nothing.

If you meet JESUS and you forget him,

you will have lost everything.

June 4, 2000

Hi,

I tried to post yesterday, but it didn't seem to make it on there, so

I am trying again.

I have been fighting with my insurance company since March to get

approval for the MGB with Dr. Rutledge. My final appeal with MAMSI

Life and Health Insurance Company is this Thursday, June 8 at 4 pm.

I am working out a presentation where I document my medical problems

due to my weight as well as letters of support from my doctor and my

employer. As well, I am attempting to put together a cost list of

the medications that I have to take now and the possible cost of

future hospitalizations if a permanent solution is not found to my

weight problem. The purpose of this is to prove how cost effective

it would be for MAMSI to pay for Dr. Rutledge's surgery. Also, Iam

trying to bring out various points in Dr. Rutledge's wonderful appeal

letter regarding exclusion of coverage as that is the reason I am

being turned down.

Has anyone else had to deal with MAMSI Life and Health? It has been

very frustrating as I have seemed to get different information from

different people and essentially, they have not looked at medical

necessity at all. One of their employees told me that when Dr.

Rutledge sent in his first letter, it was stamped received and put in

my file and not even read since the procedure was one that was

excluded. I was really shocked by this. I sent them a some

documents on my first appeal and called to make sure they had

received it and was assurred that they had, but then the documents

were returned to me as I had inadvertently left a number off the

address. They had never received it! So I do not think they had

read anything. Now finally at this last appeal, I have a right to be

there. I am taking a packet of information, some of which they may

already have and will be handing it out to them to follow along as I

make by little presentation that I hope will save my life. If any of

you who have been through this before have any suggestions or ideas,

please let me know.

I can't tell you how much your e-mails and words of encouragement

mean to me. They have really helped build me up during this

frustrating time.

Carol S.

June 4, 2000

Hi Margie,

Dr. Rutledge sent in his first initial letter to the Insurance

company requesting the surgery. After my first denial, I let his

office know. They will either send it to you or send it to the

company, whichever you prefer. This second letter is approximately

37 pages long which first covers medical necessity and the second

part covers exclusion of coverage and how morbid obesity is included

under the Americans with Disabilities Act It's a great letter and I

am just praying that the four business men reviewing my appeal can

see the logic of it and hopefully have a heart. If you want to talk

some more, I was going to go to the chat room for a while. I am

believing that we both will get past these insurance companies and be

able to live life normally for a change. Bless!

Carol S

> Carol,

>

> Hi, I am Margie Vickers. I was reading your post and saw you said

something

> about an appeal letter. Was it from Dr. R himself? Did you write to

him and

> ask him for it? Did he send it to you? Is it on his site? geez lots

of

> questions here. I was just denied due to an exclusion, and am

getting ready

> for the big battle. Please let me know if you have any good

pointers! good

> Luck hun! Hugs margie SC

June 4, 2000